LETTER: Mayor asked for questions, so here’s a list awaiting answers

To Ozaukee Press:

In his opinion piece in last week’s Ozaukee Press, Mayor Ted Neitzke asks residents concerned about the Lighthouse data center to maintain a “healthy sense of curiosity,” ask questions and get the facts.

I agree. But our concerns extend far beyond temporary traffic, construction and crowded restaurants. The mayor assures us the disruptions are temporary and the benefits will be long lasting. What about the long-term risks?

What information will be processed or stored at this facility? Will personally identifiable information, AI conversations, corporate information or government data be processed there? What cybersecurity standards will apply, and what protections exist against cyberattack or data theft?

Has an independent physical-security and terrorism risk assessment been conducted? Residents don’t need sensitive security details, but we deserve to know whether such an assessment exists, who reviewed it and whether appropriate government agencies are satisfied with the protections.

What additional equipment, personnel or training will our police and fire departments need, and who pays for it?

The mayor specifically challenges claims about water consumption, explaining that cooling water will largely be reused. Good. Publish the numbers.

Tell us the projected average and peak daily water consumption and annual consumption at full operation. 

Do the same with electricity. What will the campus’s maximum demand be? What new generation, transmission and infrastructure are required, and what legally enforceable protections ensure Wisconsin utility customers won’t ultimately subsidize those costs?

We’re also promised 1,000 permanent jobs. Are those jobs contractually guaranteed? What happens if automation or technological changes substantially reduce that number?

Perhaps most importantly, who independently represented Port Washington residents?

What experts, independent of Vantage, OpenAI, Oracle and others benefiting financially from Lighthouse, did the city retain to evaluate cybersecurity, public safety, environmental effects, utility requirements and long-term taxpayer risk?

I don’t oppose technology or economic development. I want Port Washington to prosper. But residents shouldn’t be expected to accept enormous permanent changes based solely on promises of enormous permanent benefits.

The mayor asks us to get the facts.

I couldn’t agree more. Give us all of them—the benefits, costs, safeguards and risks—and trust Port Washington residents to decide for ourselves whether this project is worth it.

Tim Klein

Port Washington